Aftermath
by Celtic-shadow
Summary: Just a short drabble I wrote about my F!Hawke dealing with the aftermath of DA2.  I suppose there are spoilers if you haven't finished the game.


Amaranth stared at the lute beside her fireplace. She hadn't the heart to remove it. It reminded her of the good times. The times when Amaranth knew she loved Anders, when he wasn't completely caught up in vengeance. When waking up in the morning meant a cheeky grin and a cheerful good morning. Not an unresponsive partner who grumbled his greeting.

She should have realised they were going downhill when her mother died. She had pushed him away, but she had pushed everyone away. Only Varric and Fenris pushed back to make sure she was OK.

"Why?" She murmured, her gaze turning into a glare. "Why did you do it? It didn't have to be this way."

Her faith in the Maker was absolute, and she knew killing Anders after what he had done was the right thing to do. Better a quick death then the slow one he would receive if Sebastian ever got hold of him.

Drawing a breath she stood up and walked to her dresser, lifting her hairbrush she ran it through her ebony coloured locks. She was a complete mess. While she had purchased only the best, no face paint could withstand the amount of tears which had run down her face.

Her eyes were closer to red then the dark brown she shared with her sister.

Over and over she replayed the events of that day in her head, trying to find out where everything went horribly wrong.

The mages she had met during her time in Kirkwall were mostly good people, and all the blood mages she had found were swiftly killed. She had every intention of siding with the mages when the battle broke out. But Anders changed that. In one swift move he destroyed everything, and turned Amaranth to the Templars. Bethany was a healer, she would find a way to survive until Amaranth came for her.

So caught up in her thoughts, she failed to notice her visitor until his pale lyrium lined hand was on her shoulder. Jumping she spun around, grasping for a weapon which wasn't there.

"It is only me Hawke."

Amaranth smiled weakly and returned to her grooming.

Fenris stood behind her, watching the mechanical movements. Finally he sat on the end of her bed, waiting for her to say something. Nearly an hour passed before Amaranth started sobbing. Biting his lip, Fenris watched her, finally moving to her and placing a hand on her shoulder.

Instead of flinching she turned towards the white haired elf, leaning into him clutching tightly until the tears subsided. She had thought she had seen the end of her tears. Fenris began to murmur softly, speaking of very little, mostly of their companions.

"Why did he do it? We were making progress. Maybe not with Meredith, but with the others."

"Anders was an abomination, no matter which way you look at him. Perhaps he was a good man before Justice, but when a mage makes a deal with a demon, he is no longer in control." Fenris replied, choosing his wording carefully. He was glad of what became of the ex-Warden, but he did not want to see Amaranth in tears again.

Amaranth wiped her eyes, smearing the face paint even more. Lifting a damp towel from beside the basin she wiped the remaining paint off. Returning the towel, she smoothed it out before resting her forehead against a bed post.

"What do I do now Fenris? Just when I had everything planned, the world gets turned upside down." She rested a hand on her stomach. "I'm starting to think I should have stayed in Ferelden. At least there I knew who I was fighting."

Green eyes watched the Champion carefully. Making up his mind he walked over to her, lifting her chin with a finger.

"If you had stayed in Ferelden I would still be an escaped slave. You have done good here Hawke, even if you cannot see it."

Amaranth smiled slightly. "Maybe."

"There is no maybe about it." Stepping closer to her he leaned in closely and softly kissed her.

Amaranth smiled at his surprise when she kissed back, wrapping her arms around his neck when he tried to pull away.

"Don't Fenris. I need this. I need to know there is still something worth living for."

With a smile Fenris leaned in, pushing Amaranth onto the bed.


End file.
